JOINT BASE ANDREWS, Md. –
UNIFORMED SERVICES FAMILY HEALTH PLAN
Members of the Uniform Services Family Health Plan (USFHP) who become eligible for Medicare Part A also lose their eligibility for TRICARE but may remain enrolled in the USFHP at this time. Although USFHP offers the TRICARE Prime benefit, it is a separate contract with the Department of Defense (DoD) with a special rule that currently allows Medicare eligible to
remain enrolled without Part B. However, should a member decide to disenroll for any reason such as moving out of the area, he/she does not have eligibility for TRICARE For Life without Part B. We often hear the argument that a $230/460 a year enrollment fee is cheaper than the monthly Part B premium. That is correct but an individual choosing to decline Part B when initially eligible will incur a 10% penalty on the monthly premium for every year not enrolled. In addition, enrollment is only possible during the Open Enrollment period from January 1 - March 31 each year with coverage to begin July 1 which could leave a person without any coverage for an indefinite period. In short, no one can foretell the future, particularly relating to health care. Even if one thinks he/she does not need Part B when eligible, the time will come as sure as death and taxes when that decision will be regretted. Think about it. Extracted from the Winter Issue Newsletter of the Hanscom Air Force Base Retiree Activities Office. See www.hanscom.af.mil for the full article.
FREE ELECTRONIC TAX FILING AVAILABLE
Tax season is here again. Military retirees are among those eligible to take advantage of free electronic filing of federal tax returns offered at Andrews and Anacostia-Bolling(JBAB). The tax offices are manned by volunteer staffs recruited by the Staff Judge Advocate. Each volunteer completed 30 hours of training provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). Appointments may be required. For complete information, call the Legal Office at Andrews, 301 981-2042 or at JBAB, 202-767-5297. The IRS recommends that taxpayers file their tax returns electronically, because e-file eliminates the risk of lost paper returns. E-file also reduces errors on tax returns and speeds up refunds. E-file combined with direct deposit is the best option for taxpayers; it's easy, fast and safe. Extracted from "Still Serving", the newsletter published by the AFDW Retiree Activities Office, National Capital Area. You can read the latest Still Serving on the Andrews RAO web page.
The Retiree Activities Office is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. You may visit our office in room A-200A, 1535 Command Dr., call us at 301-981-2726, your voice mail message will be answered, or you can e-mail us at rao@andrews.af.mil.
We recommend you call the office prior to visiting us to ensure someone is on duty. We have a Web site at http://www.andrews.af.mil click on ''Retirees" on the right side of the page. There you will find a wealth of information that is of interest to you.
Back copies of all "Retiree Activities Corner" articles are available on-line. Go to our Retirees webpage and follow the instructions under the heading "Newspaper Column".